Ah, the good old days! Don’t you miss ‘em? Time was when a young boy could be castrated and nobody would make a fuss about it. Not any more, though. Consequently, no more castrati and no one left who can really belt out those numbers written for a high-pitched, strong male voice! Oh, sure! We can assign those parts to a countertenor – an adult male singer who has developed his falsetto voice – but the falsetto voice just doesn’t possess the power of a true castrato. We can give the part to a boy with an unusually strong singing voice or to a female soprano, but neither has quite the sound of the castrato. Roughly two centuries of great music and nobody who can perform it quite the way it was meant to be performed. It would be as if the last harpsichord or viola da gamba player passed away. When will we know another Farinelli?

What’s the big deal anyway? Is it moral compunction? Is there something wrong with a society forking out top dollar to watch people who have made themselves into freaks and super-humans performing for our collective entertainment and titillation? That can’t be it because we still have NFL football and pro-wrestling, neither of which a young man can compete in successfully without bulking up on anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids not only cause infertility in men but shorten life expectancy. Heck, the guys who played in the NFL have an average life expectancy of 55 years – way below the average for the general population of men. The necessity of drug enhancement is just a shade less evident in baseball, track, and women’s swimming. It’s no accident that “impossible” records are being set in sprinting competitions and homeruns for a season. Ask Mark McGwire about steroids but make it quick before he expires from complications of arteriosclerosis. For that matter we’ve got cosmetic freaks like Cher (o.k., a gorgeous and talented freak!) and Michael Jackson (just a freak!) for our viewing pleasure. Why not castrati? Gérard Corbiau’s 1995 film, Farinelli: Il Castrato, out of Belgium, gives us the story of one of the most revered of the castrati – Carlo Broschi. The script was written by Corbiau together with his wife Andree and Marcel Beaulieu.

Historical Background: For any who don’t already know, castrati were male sopranos or contraltos (above an alto) produced by castrating an unfortunate lad with a good singing voice before puberty. Without the influence of testosterone produced by the testes (beginning with the onset of puberty), the fellow’s larynx would remain small but the lungs and chest (which don’t depend on testosterone for enlargement) would continue to grow as he developed into manhood. The result was a voice with a range similar to a woman’s but stronger and fuller in tone, capable of extreme technical brilliance and virtuosity, but also ethereal delicacy. Castrati were in great demand throughout the 17th and 18th century, most of which corresponds to the musical period known as the Baroque, associated with such luminous composers as Vivaldi, Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, and Handel. A few castrati existed right up to the end of the 19th century, but little of the music of the Romantic period capitalized on the special quality of their voices. During the Baroque, the emphasis on secular (non-religious) music increased, although religious oratorios, organ fugues, and masses continued to be written as well. Opera, which had appeared as early as the Renaissance, became more elaborate and ornamental during the Baroque (though little of what opera buffs encounter today in live performance predates 1800). Parts for castrati during the Baroque were found in either choral works or opera.

One issue explored in Farinell: Il Castrato is music as art versus music as showpieces for virtuosi. The conflict between these two uses of music has existed since the Renaissance and applies not only to pieces for voice but to pieces for solo performers of various instruments as well. Some composers wrote mainly virtuoso pieces for their favorite instruments, featuring showy flourishes. Some concerti and sonatas even provide for a segment, called a cadenza, where the soloist was to improvise his or her own virtuoso passage. Some great composers were able to satisfy both demands, creating works of high artistic merit that also permitted the soloist to show off. Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Schumann, for example, wrote virtuoso pieces for solo piano that are also valued for musical expression. This issue is illuminated in Farinelli: Il Castrato by the contrast between Handel, a composer of music of elevated sensitivity, and Riccardo Broschi, whose artistry was limited to showpieces for his brother's voice.

The Story: The film Farinelli is largely biographical, though not necessarily fully accurate historically. It’s close enough. “Farinelli” was the performance name of Carlo Broschi (1704/5-1782) (played by Stefano Dionisi). He was the most famous castrato of his era, performing in Italy, Spain, and England. He acquired the nickname “Farinelli”, which derives from the Italian word for “pulverize”, after a showdown with a trumpet in which he matched and exceeded the trumpets power and clarity note by note. Performing the music written by his brother, Riccardo Broschi (Enrico Lo Verso), Farinelli gradually rose in fame until he was the toast of Europe – idolized in much the same way that rock stars and other popular performers are today. Farinelli at his height would appear in elaborately ornate costumes, sometimes descending to the stage in a horse-drawn chariot, while ladies in the audience would swoon or experience “musical orgasms.” He was adulated by men as well. Farinelli would wipe the beads of sweat from his brow with a silk handkerchief – then toss the cloth into the audience, precipitating a stampede.

Despite Farinelli’s anatomical shortcoming, he had a taste for women and an interesting arrangement with his brother to ensure that the ladies were left satisfied. Stated metaphorically, Carlo’s job was to warm the vehicle up and Riccardo would drive it around the block. Or, if you prefer, Carlo would till the soil and Riccardo would plant the seeds. These were not so much ménage a trios events as a variation on tag-team wrestling.

Between 1734 and 1737, Farinelli was drawn to London, which was one of the music performance capitals of Europe. Although England produced less than its share of great composers prior to 1900, other than Handel (with all due apologies to Elgar, Britten, Delius and the like), this was the heyday of Handel and London had also long been strong in the performance of masterworks by composers from throughout Europe. Handel recognized what a fantastic instrument Farinelli possessed in his voice, but understandably denigrated the brother’s music as unworthy of such a fine vehicle of expression. Farinelli initially failed to recognize the vast superiority of Handel’s compositions and the two were thus established as bitter rivals. Farinelli performed to great acclaim at the Nobles Theatre, which was in direct competition with Handel’s Opera Theatre at Covent Garden. By the time Farinelli realized the greatness of Handel’s musical genius, Handel was too embittered over Farinelli’s notoriety to work with him. Meanwhile, Farinelli acquired a patron, Margarethe Hunter (Caroline Cellier), discovered a kindred spirit in her crippled son, and met her niece, Alexandra (Elsa Zylberstein), who would ultimately become his wife.

POSSIBLE SPOILER – SKIP DOWN TO THEMES IF YOU LIKE!

Bit by bit, over the course of the film, we also get the story of Carlo’s childhood and the trauma of castration. Even before the excruciating event, during one of his singing lessons from his teacher, Nicola Porpora (Omero Antonutti), Carlo had seen a boy commit suicide after being castrated. The boy had hurled himself naked from the mezzanine above, his hand cupping his genitalia, screaming, “Carlo, don’t sing any more. Your death is in your throat. Don’t let them do this to you.” Later, Carlo had begged his father not to let the same happen to him. The father merely responded that Carlo and Riccardo must remain inseparable come what may. After the father’s early death, it was Riccardo that arranged for Carlo’s castration. Doped up with opium, Carlo’s jewel case was duly raided and the poor boy left to sit in a tub of milk while drops of scarlet blood bubbled to the surface. Ah, what price fame!

Themes: One of the problems with the film Farinelli: Il Castrato is that the themes just aren’t all that well developed. There are perhaps three main themes, but none are really elucidated especially well. Each of the three themes centers on one particular character in Farinelli’s life: his brother, his competitor Handel, and his love interest Alexandra.

One theme of the film is loyalty vs. opportunity. It’s a common enough occurrence in the arts. Two or more artists team up in an effort to get ahead. They make progress by working together but sooner or later it becomes evident that one or another of the individuals has more inherent talent. That individual is presented with an opportunity to move up into a higher level of accomplishment – into the big leagues in a sense – and has to choose whether to take the opportunity that has been presented (which may feel like betrayal in their own heart or in the minds of their associates) or to pass on the opportunity and stick with the old partners. In Farinelli: Il Castrato, the decision is particularly difficult because the two partners are brothers and the less talented brother sacrificed for the younger brother while they were struggling but also played the major role in sacrificing a piece of the younger brother’s anatomy. How can Farinelli reconcile the debt he owes to his brother for the care he provided but the resentment he must feel from the opportunities that he has lost to experience love and sex in a normal manner?

A second theme is professional envy in the competitive relationship and grudging admiration between Handel and Farinelli. This theme was far better developed in another great film about classical music, Amadeus (1984). One interesting difference, however, is that the conflict in Amadeus was between Mozart and Salieri, two composers, one far greater than the other. In Farinelli: Il Castrato, there is an added element since the conflict is between a great performer and a great composer. Thus, the envy portrayed in Farinelli: Il Castrato can be generalized to the conflict that inherently exists between the two important and codependent classes of artists that together generate music for the public – the composers and the performers. Which is more important? Are the performers there merely to give expression to the art created by the composer? Is the composer there merely to write material to show off the artistic skill of performers? Or does true artistry exist at both levels?

The third theme is the psychological challenges inherent in Farinelli’s situation – as a boy turned into a freak of a man and thus forever apart from and ostracized from the normal range of emotions and opportunities in life. Can Farinelli enjoy something as basic as real love and a family life after his manhood has been taken from him in the name of art?

Production Values: Farinelli: Il Castrato is a good film but not a great one. It hits some glorious high notes but plays out of tune in some other respects. As a period piece, viewers really couldn’t ask for anything more. This was a costly film to make and a lot of that expense went into costumes, carriages, stage sets, and the like that credibly recreate the baroque atmosphere. The cinematography was also very good, both in the splendid opera house interiors and some natural settings.

Another great strength of this film is the voice tracks generated digitally to recreate as best as possible the unique castrato voice. Since there are no castrati today and since no natural voice very nearly matches it, the technicians digitally merged voice tracks produced by Derek Lee Ragin (one of the best current countertenors) and Ewa Mallas Godlewska (a talented and strong voiced soprano). The result was a credible reproduction of what no longer exists.

A third strength in this film is the performance of Jeroen Krabbe as George Frideric Handel. Krabbe has a solid resume of credits, mostly in villainous roles, in such films as Soldier of Orange (1977), The Living Daylights (1987), Crossing Delancey (1988), The Prince of Tides (1991), The Fugitive (1993), and Ever After (1998).

Being a lover of classical music from all periods (pre-renaissance to modern) and all genre (opera, choral, orchestra, instrumental, vocal), I was bound to derive enjoyment from this film regardless of any shortcomings it might have. Nevertheless, even in my rosy view of the film, there were evident flaws. One problem was in the poor quality of the lip-synching by Stefano Dionisi as Farinelli. It’s something of an irritation. Then too, the performances by Dionisi and Lo Verso as the two brothers are only adequate. Lo Verso’s other film credits include The Stolen Children (1992) and Lamerica (1994).

The script could have been better as well. The flashback tactic introducing the childhood segment disrupts the narrative continuity and could have just as well have been told at the beginning. The mystery aspect of it doesn’t really succeed anyway. The biggest problem, however, is that none of the three largely independent themes are developed fully enough. It might have been better to forgo one of the three themes – brotherly fidelity, professional envy, or the love interest – in order to more fully explore the other two.

Bottom-Line: Farinelli: Il Castrato won the Golden Globe in 1995 and was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, though it lost out (justifiably in my opinion) to Antonia’s Line. I recommend this film to any with a love for opera or for classical music in general. I recommend it as well for those who especially enjoy elaborate period pieces. Others might do well to forgo this offering. Farinelli: Il Castrato is in Italian with English subtitles and has a running time of 111 minutes. It is rated R because of partial nudity, sexuality, and semi-graphic depiction of castration. Ouch!


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You might want to check out these other excellent films from Belgium:

No Man’s Land
Rosetta
Toto the Hero

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age